An Exchange
by EmilyHawley
Summary: Jace grew up in the mundane world. Clary grew up a shadowhunter. Are they still the people we know and love? Or have their new upbringings changed them?
1. Chapter 1

"Jace, get your pretentious ass out here! As much as I would love to skip this, we promised Eric that we would go to his poetry reading." Simon shouted. In the tiny apartment that Jace shared with his mother, the sound reverberated through the walls, making everything seem much louder than it really was.

"I'm sure you just can't wait to listen to Eric wail on and on about his loins. I for one would much rather go play tag with a bunch of bloodthirsty tigers." Jace quipped. He hated the stupid poetry readings, but somehow, Simon always forced him to go. _I thought being in a band was supposed to give me a girlfriend to spend weekends with… It was supposed to end this. _He thought to himself.

Of course, the plan hadn't worked. Not only had the band _not _boosted his popularity, it had somehow lowered his rank in the social world of high school.

"We are going, whether you like it or not" Simon called from what Jace assumed was the kitchen. Simon always raided Jace's house for food. Probably because his mother was always on a health craze, constantly buying "nutritious" and "wholesome" snacks that resembled rotten milk more than something that was actually edible.

Jumping up from his bed, Jace threw on a green t-shirt, and some faded blue jeans. He walked out to the kitchen to join his friend.

"All-right, Si, let's go"

ЖЖЖ

When they arrived at the coffee house, the only place crazy enough to allow Eric to read his poetry, they found a large leather couch, big enough to fit five or six people. Very masculine. Jace sat down, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a petite red-head girl. Dressed all in black, she should have looked like a funeral-goer, but instead it made the color of her hair look like flames and her green eyes sparkled. She gave him a crooked smile, and beckoned him to come and sit with her. Not to make a total fool of himself, Jace flashed her a cocky smile and turned away from her slightly.

Turning to Simon, he quietly whispered, "Hey Simon, I think there's a chick here that's checking me out."

Immediately, Simon looked away from Eric and his gosh-awful stage poetry.

"Duuuuude, is she hot?" Simon queried.

"I don't know, you tell me." Jace pointed to the red-head sitting across the room from them. Simon's face became confused, and then cleared, his eyes lighting up as if Jace had just told a joke.

"Jace, you need to get your eyes checked. There is absolutely no one there. I could refer you to my optometrist, but you seem to enjoy making fun of my glasses"

Jace looked at the girl in surprise, almost positive that his jaw was hanging open. She still sat there, plain as day, her face lit up with a smile as she giggled. Again, she raised her hand and beckoned him over. This time, Jace didn't even hesitate. He stood up, telling Simon that he would be back soon. When he was about five feet away from her, she stood up and walked over to him. Grabbing his wrist, the girl pulled Jace out of the front door of the coffee house.

He followed her into an alley, fighting it every step of the way. Somehow, he could see tomorrow's headlines. MISSING BOY LAST SEEN IN COFFEE HOUSE. But for some reason, Jace couldn't leave the girl. When she stopped and turned to face him, he was surprised to see her face was not as carefree as it had seemed a minute ago. Small silvery lines marked her arms and hands. She was holding an odd stick-like object that was too long to be a pen and too short to be a wand. He grinned at her, using his trademark smile.

"Well" he began "Now that you've got me alone, what exactly is it that you want?" He wiggled his eyebrows at the red-head. She smirked, seemingly unaffected. Twirling the odd stick object in her hand, she studied him muttering under her breath.

"Okay, seriously, if you just wanted to check me out, you could've done that inside the coffee shop. Can you at least tell me your name?" he asked, exasperated.

"Clary."

"Okay, Miss Clary. You wanna tell me why you'e undressing me with your eyes? Or will you tell me why you actually brought me here." Becoming extremely agitated, Jace's sarcasm began to come out.

She looked him up and down one more time before saying "Come with me."

Metaphorically digging his heels into the ground, Jace refused to go.

"Tell me who you are. My mother will be worried if I don't get back soon. So will Simon."

"All right, your boyfriend and your mother can wait. Right now, I need to get you to the institute. You might be one of us. Hold out your hand." Clary stated simply.

For some reason, Jace felt the need to clarify something.

"Simon's not my boyfriend." Jace regretted saying it instantly, when Clary's face took on an an annoyed expression.

"Whatever. Hold out your hand." She repeated.

He did so. She grabbed his wrist and immediately began writing on him with the stick object. Wherever it touched his skin, a pleasant stinging sensation occurred. Clary explained some things to him as she drew.

"I'm what is called a Shadowhunter. Basically, I fight demons. This" she indicated towards the stick "is my stele. It writes things in the language of the Angels. You might have some Angel blood in you, so the Clave wants you to come in for an examination. And our tutor, Hodge, wants to make sure you're not another… screw-up"

Jace took all of this silently. He waited for a few minutes as Clary finished up the drawing. It looked odd to him, almost like a square with wings.

"Equilibrium" Clary whispered, pride evident in her voice.

Jace was about to answer when his phone rang. The caller ID read "MOM".


	2. Chapter 2

**Howdy, y'all! I got bored and decided to update before I left to go babysit. This chapter is pretty rough (I didn't have time to edit) so just bear with me here. I do apologize for the minor cliff hanger at the end of the last chapter, but how else will I get you guys to continue reading? I'm on some pretty strange painkillers right now (butalb-acetamin-caff for you medicine aficionados) , so if this chapter gets a little silly, blame on the concussion meds. **

**Magnus told me to tell you that I do not own the Mortal Instruments… *eyes are tearing up here***

**No reviews, No new chapters. So if you want me to continue, you better review**

**Love y'all!**

Clary watched as the blonde boy pressed a button on the strange device, and held it to his ear. She had never been particularly interested in mundane technology, instead focusing on her training. It had paid off. She was known as one of the best demon slayers her age. Ever since her father had been murdered before her eyes, she had shut off her emotions, and became a demon-killing machine. Her adoptive siblings always looked at her funny when she opted out of going clubbing, choosing to spend the evening training. Anything was better than feeling, and wielding a seraph blade was the best way to make herself numb.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a crashing sound coming out of the boy's device. His face grew serious, losing all traces of the cockiness that had coated his features just a second before.

"MOM!" he screamed into the phone. Clary sighed, feeling forgotten. Mundanes. So forgetful… She wasn't sure why this boy seemed to stand out from the rest, but he continued to intrigue her. About a week ago, her tutor, Hodge, had warned her about a possible gifted Mundie. At the time Clary had sighed, knowing that she was going to be stuck playing babysitter for the next week while trying to decide what to do with the blonde boy. But after glamouring herself all week and following him, she felt that it was time to bring him to the Institute and let Hodge deal with him.

Now, she sat back, drawing a quick rune on her arm to improve her hearing. She needed to know what his mother was saying.

A loud noise, resembling shattering glass erupted from the device, followed by a scream. By now, the boy was crying and screaming into the phone, desperately trying to get his mother's attention. _He looks ridiculous crying like that _Clary thought to herself _This is why I don't show emotion. _

The noises coming from the boy's device were replaced by a deadly silence. Clary heard the woman on the phone gasp sharply and with a quick _Jace, I love you _the woman hung up. Clary watched as the boy, Jace, fell into shock. The strange little device slipped out of his grasp, and Clary caught it before it could hit the floor. She wasn't quite sure why she did it, but she flipped open the little device and started pressing random buttons. A weird, shrill ringing erupted from it, waking Jace up from his stupor. He grabbed it back just in time for Clary to hear "_Hello, this is Jake from State Farm". _

_Funny_, Clary mused, _I must have been living in a cave to have missed the annexation of a new state. I have got to tell Izzy that America has 51 states now. She'll get a kick out of that._

She smirked, and Jace just stared at her. Clary had to hold herself back from becoming caught up in his appearance. For a mundane, he was actually quite attractive, golden hair and eyes, tan skin, and very tall. The only imperfection Clary could see was a chip on his front tooth.

He was glaring at her, tapping his foot as if he expected her to say something.

"What?" she asked, trying not to giggle at the almost comedic way he was her, eyebrows huddled together, nose scrunched up. He almost looked like a little kid who didn't get his way on the playground.

"I said, are we gonna go now? I would _like _to go see what the hell just happened to my mother."

Clary stared at him. Most mundanes weren't as forward as he was. _I have a lot to learn about the Mundie world,_ Clary thought.

ЖЖЖ

Jace stared at Clary. While he still found her insanely attractive, and magnetic, he couldn't help but become annoyed. She had taken him to his apartment, but refused to come inside. She "didn't want anything to do with how mundanes lived their lives". Jace wasn't even sure what the hell a mundane _was, _but judging by the way she said the word, it couldn't have been a compliment. He unlocked the front door to his living space and tried to get inside, but the door stuck to the frame like glue. He backed up a little bit, and ran at the door, full force. The hinges caved under his weight, and as the stubborn door fell, Jace got his first glimpse of chaos. The front hall looked as if it had been through a tornado, a hurricane, and a bloodthirsty tiger, all at the same time. The paintings his mother, Jocelyn, had done were shredded all over the floor, the canvases slightly frayed. He almost turned around and walked away right then, but a noise coming from the kitchen stopped him in his tracks.

"Mom?" he hesitantly called out.

When he received no answer, he walked into the apartment. Following the strange noise, sort of a cross between hissing and rattling, he stumbled across something. Bending over to pick it up, he saw that it was his mother's memory box, the one with pictures of Jace's father. Jace picked it up and clutched it to him, needing to feel like his father was closer. He continued to move through the wreckage, attempting to reach the kitchen.

When he made it there, he slowly swung the door open, and was face to face with the ugliest creature he had ever seen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Guysssssss I am sooo sorry if the last chapter sucked! Arghh those painkillers made me high as a kite, and in my weird, foggy brain, I somehow convinced myself that I was in an acceptable writing state… I was wrong! I feel really bad, but I'm not gonna remove the last chapter. Why, you ask? Because I don't want to confuse you guys… or myself… I'm writing so many fanfictions lately… I accidentally posted chapter 2 for this story on my other story (Demonic in Nature) and it took me a whie to figure out why everyone was so confused. **

**I don't own the Mortal Instruments… So I am going to cry in my room. By myself. Waaaaaaaahhhhhh **

The moment she heard glass shatter, Clary was on her feet. She silently cursed herself, berating herself for remaining outside. Clary just always felt so confused around this strange boy. She couldn't bring herself to call him a mundane anymore, partly because he had survived the rune she had drawn on him, and partly because "Mundie" was a degrading term.

Running up the stairs of the apartment, Clary pulled out a seraph blade. It glowed as she named it _Adriel, _and she felt powerful, like a true demon huntress. She snapped to attention as more crashing noises spilled out of the apartment farthest away from her. She crept toward it, trying to gauge what was causing all the problems. Clary heard a masculine yelp from behind the door, and immediately sprang into action, kicking the door down.

When she reached the main source of the commotion, she found Jace holding what appeared to be a jagged piece of pipe, standing over a gravely injured ravener demon. Behind the sound of Jace's ragged breathing, Clary could hear an odd, high pitched whine that seemed to grow louder by the second. The sound hit its climax, and a huge plume of water spray rose up behind Jace's head. He ducked, and ran towards her, leaving the demon to die on the ground. Clary gasped as he wrapped his arm around her waist and dragged her out the front door. Seconds after they crossed the threshold, an enormous groaning noise filled Clary's ears, deafening her. She watched in shock as the entire floor of the apartment caved in. This time, Clary was the first to react, grabbing Jace's wrist and yanking him down the complex stairs to the street. They ran down the road and turned into a darkened alleyway a few blocks down.

Clary watched as Jace fought to keep his cool. Every few seconds or so, his façade would crack, and Clary could see just how shaken he was. For some odd reason, she felt the need to wrap her arms around Jace, and remind him that everything would be okay. _By the Angel, you're thinking like a Mundie now. Stop it. He just lost his mom and you're trying to hit on him? _Clary silently berated herself. Besides, Jace was so much taller than her that it would be almost comical if she tried to hug him.

For the first time in her life, Clary regretted being vertically challenged. Ever since she could remember, Clary had loved being short. When you were small, people wanted to protect you… Not that Clary needed protecting, but it was still a nice advantage to have over an enemy. But now, looking at Jace, she wanted to be taller, to match him better. It was silly, she knew. Jace had probably grown up around New York's finest girls, supermodels, people who looked like Clary's adoptive sister, Isabelle. When he looked at her, he probably saw her as that short, strange shadowhunter.

It was Jace who snapped her out of her longing. With a short and decisive "Are you coming?" he turned and walked out of the alley. She didn't follow him, remaining rooted in her spot. Clary had never had much interaction with mundanes, and the little she did know about them did not seem to apply in this situation. In her experience, mundanes were sheep-like, only doing what they were told to do. They didn't rebel, and they certainly didn't kill ravener demons. Even though he survived the Mark that Clary had put on him, he was still raised by the mundies. So why didn't he act like one?

She began to jog towards Jace, this new conundrum still fresh on her mind. She opened her mouth to question him, even though she knew it was insensitive. Unfortunately, if Clary didn't solve this problem, both she and Jace would get in heaps of trouble with the Clave.

"Is your mother… human?" she carefully asked. Jace stayed silent for a minute, his face hard and stone-like as they walked. After a few minutes of this, Clary gave up on getting an answer, instead leading him towards the Institute. _Maybe Hodge can get through to him. _She resolved to get Jace to talk to her tutor as soon as possible. _Or even Isabelle._

The thought made Clary more jealous than she would like to admit.


	4. Chapter 4

**I am seriously beginning to wonder why you guys still read my stories… I am not punctual at all, and I have no excuses for not updating… It has almost been an entire month and I feel positively horrible. But I guess I can give the few readers out there who like my stories a new chapter. SHOUT OUT to my fanbase of 2 people! You 2 are awesome… **

**Although, more reviews would be nice…**

About 5 minutes into the walk, Jace felt completely lost. Clary had led him into a part of town that he was totally unfamiliar with. His foot ached where the demon had scratched it. He hadn't told Clary about the injury, thinking she would laugh, but it still burned like hell.

Jace's gait began to slow as they approached an old building. His head pounded as he stared in wonder. It was almost as if someone had laid a screen over his vision. He could still see the oddly broken building, but at the same time he could see a towering gothic church, its spires reaching into the sky, like a lover mourning their loved one's death. The image was so disconcerting, Jace had to look away. He stared at Clary's ankles, following her up to the building. She opened the front door up and went inside. Jace followed, not looking up until someone cleared their throat.

A boy stood across from Jace. The strange boy looked to be about the same age as Jace himself, maybe even a little older. He had pale skin and black hair, a startling contrast. He wore dark clothing, similar to what Clary wore, but unlike Clary, he looked slightly uncomfortable in it. His eyes seemed to hold the only color on him. A bright and glittering ice blue, they contained almost no warmth at all. His face remained stony and impassive as he stared at Jace. Jace fiddled with the hem of his shirt, feeling somewhat awkward.

"Alec, you're making him uncomfortable! Stop it!" Clary demanded, and Jace watched as the boy's, Alec's, eyes lit up with a strange fire. Alec continued to stare at Jace, making the golden boy even more uncomfortable. Finally, Jace couldn't hold in the comment any longer. His sarcastic side had to show its true colors.

"Alec, right? Well, you know if you take a picture, it'll last longer."

The dark haired boy stared at him, his mouth open in surprise. He stood that way for a few more seconds before glaring at Jace.

As Alec walked away, he looked back over his shoulder and said in a strained voice, "I've never been all that into photography."

Jace suppressed a chuckle, unsure as to whether he just made a really great friend, or a really bad enemy.

o.O.o

Clary mentally slapped herself in the face. Why did she think that Alec would deal with a Mundie very well? She wasn't thinking. And therein lay the problem. Ever since Hodge had tasked her with finding the mysterious boy, she had become increasingly preoccupied. She had wondered what a gifted Mundie would be like. Would he be a friend or an enemy? When she had first seen Jace, she wanted to know him better, and now-

Clary's thoughts were cut short when Jace collapsed with a small cry of astonishment.

**I know it's terrible and short, but I do have a life outside of writing. I really hope you guys understand.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Someone wanna explain to me what a beta is? I'm kinda confused… oh well…**

**I (obviously) don't own the mortal instruments… I would be very rich if I did…**

Jace felt as if he were swimming through a pool of jello. His thoughts were moving slowly, like honey. He could hear people making conversation, but he couldn't focus in on the words. A deep voice resonated through his brain, complimented by a more feminine sounding one. The two seemed to be going back and forth, almost arguing. Jace heard a rustling sound and then there was only one voice. He strained himself to hear it.

"Jace, are you okay? Please show me you're alive at least!"

The feminine voice sounded worried and very familiar. _Who is that? _Jace wondered to himself. He sat there for what felt like hours, listening to the voice, feeling it wash over him. The curiosity eventually got to him, and he peeled his eyes open.

Sitting across from him was a gorgeous girl. She had raven black hair and pale skin. From what he could see, she was very tall and dressed in fashion's finest. She reminded him of the women who attended his mother's art galas. She seemed very poised and proper.

Until she opened her mouth.

"CLARY! HE'S AWAKE!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Jace flinched and clapped his hands over his ears. He could feel bile rising in his throat and his head was pounding.

The girl continued screaming until Jace couldn't hold it in anymore. He leaned over the bed and vomited on the floor. Of course, Clary chose that exact moment to walk into the room.

Out of the corner of his ear, he heard Clary berating the girl.

"Isabelle, look what you did! Geez, I'm going to have to put a muzzle on you if your screaming makes our guests throw up!"

Jace froze. He didn't want to appear weak in front of these people. He wiped the corners of his mouth and stared at Clary. She looked radiant in a simple green t-shirt and faded jeans. Her green eyes sparkled with amusement as she teased Isabelle. Her curly red hair was pulled back in a lazy ponytail. She turned and looked at him. He saw her eyes tighten. She handed Jace a small bowl of a steaming liquid and left the room.

Jace gave Isabelle a questioning look. She sighed and looked away. Unsatisfied, he turned back to the bowl. Never one to enjoy trying new foods, Jace was a little hesitant about tasting this soup.

"You probably want to eat that before it gets cold," Isabelle said, markedly quieter than her earlier screaming.

"What's up with Clary? Why did she just leave when she saw me looking at her?" Jace said, still hung up on the fiery red head.

Isabelle looked away. After a few minutes of silence, Jace went back to his still-warm soup. He lifted the bowl to his lips and took a sip. The lingering nausea and headache left him immediately, and he felt like he could run a mile. Or two. Or maybe manage a conversation with a certain green-eyed girl. That last one was pretty doubtful. When he finished the soup, he looked at Isabelle. She looked much tenser than he had originally realized, and instead of looking poised, she just looked insane.

Alec walked into the room, giving Jace a hard stare. _What is with these people and the glaring? _Jace thought to himself.

"Jace, we need you to talk to Hodge. I'm assuming that Clary told you who he is?" Alec asked quickly and condescendingly. "Get up and let's go."

Jace pulled back the thick comforter on the bed and saw the bandages on his foot. There was no way he was going to be able to walk on it. Isabelle must have seen his grimace because an instant later, she was shoving a pair of crutches at him. He took them gratefully and stood up. Alec left the room, and Jace followed. They walked down a long, poorly lit hallway, stopping at a large door. Alec held it open and beckoned for Jace to go inside. He complied.

And was immediately met with the most impressive set of books he had ever seen. His eyes widened as he looked around. He had always loved books, and had turned to the when times were tough. He hadn't inherited any of his mother's artistic abilities, so he relied on works of literature to calm his nerves instead of painting.

A throat cleared itself and made its presence known to Jace. He looked for the root of the noise and found it occupying a large, cushioned chair behind an overflowing desk. The owner of the noise stood up, sending a flurry of papers flying off the front of the desk. Jace ran to help pick them up. When he stood back up, a pile of papers in hand, he found himself staring right into the beady black eyes of the scariest bird he had ever seen.


	6. A Letter to Whomever Cares

**Hi everyone. **

**This is going to be a bit of a somber note, at least for me. **

**As of right now, I have to take a break from my stories. I can give you more details if you PM me.**

**I probably won't be able to pick these stories back up for another couple of months. **

**I really am sorry.**

**XOXOX**

**Emily Hawley**


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